Weather reports be damned, Big Ten spring football opens on Tuesday—with Indiana and Northwestern getting started four days before Illinois and Purdue do likewise, and the rest of the league following in short order.

Here we address a Burning Question facing each of the conference’s 12 programs. We begin with the six in the Leaders Division.

LEADERS DIVISION

Illinois

Are there 22 Illini who are tough enough to start for Tim Beckman?

The new coach told Sporting News shortly after he was hired that he’ll be looking in the spring for players who are willing to finish what they start—who better resemble Beckman’s former players at Toledo in this regard than Ron Zook’s 2011 crew in Champaign.

“I’m here because of what those players did as Rockets,” he said.

What the Illini did—still hard to believe—was start the regular season on a 6-0 tear and finish it in a program-defining 0-6 sinkhole. The only way out of it is for Beckman to let the toughest, most resilient Illini lead the way. That means competition at every position, from returning starter Nathan Scheelhaase vs. Reilly O’Toole at quarterback on down.

Indiana

Will Indiana’s defense ever be good enough for the Hoosiers to win in the Big Ten?

Kevin Wilson’s first season in Bloomington was a 1-11 nightmare with zero Big Ten wins. To help a young, weak defense that allowed 37.3 points per game (ranked 114th), Wilson turned to the junior-college ranks in recruiting, signing five defenders—most notably linebacker Jacarri Alexander, who could line up inside or outside, and smallish-but-quick pass rusher Justin Rayside.

Wilson needs to be right on this one, because his offense still has miles to go itself. True freshman Tre Roberson threw for only three touchdowns in seven games played, including five starts.

Ohio State

Will one (Urban Meyer) plus one (Braxton Miller) equal one?

We know what you’re thinking—yes, our math is state-school shaky. As was Miller’s play at quarterback for much of his freshman season, though he began to play with impressive poise and confidence as the games wore on. Regardless, Buckeyes fans are counting on the marriage of Meyer and Miller being blissful from the start. Miller does seem tailor-made for the offense that Tim Tebow (at Florida) and Alex Smith (at Utah) ran so wonderfully, but he still has to prove he can pull it off. And it’s never a given that a coach and a quarterback will stay on the same page—especially in an oddball situation like this one, with OSU having no bowl bid to chase.

Penn State

Actually, no—not at all. O’Brien has a chance to make his mark right away by improving Penn State’s pathetic passing game. And, frankly, he’d have to try pretty hard to screw this one up. Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden combined to throw for 2,256 yards last season in a passing attack that ranked 96th nationally in yards and dead last in the Big Ten in efficiency.

McGloin seems likely to win the job in the spring, but it’s far from a sure thing. Whoever masters O’Brien’s playbook first and also manages to win over quarterback coach Charlie Fisher will be the guy.

Purdue

Is this the year Robert TerHenry finally gets it done?

No program has had less consistency—due in large part to injuries—at quarterback than Purdue has under Danny Hope. Caleb TerBush started every game last season, but he made way for Robert Marve on many a series and had the job only after expected first-teamer Rob Henry tore an ACL in August. All three players are still in the program (as is Sean Robinson, who has started before) and all, according to Hope, will be given time to legitimately fight for the No. 1 job. Spring ball may not allow enough time for this position battle to play out.

Wisconsin

Are the Badgers about to take a couple of big steps back?

There are so many reasons why it could happen. Russell Wilson, the program’s most talented quarterback since long before the Barry Alvarez era began in 1990, is chasing his NFL dream. Perhaps the best offensive line in school history was gutted by the upcoming draft. Offensive coordinator Paul Chryst left to coach Pittsburgh and brought a carload of Bret Bielema’s assistants with him. And the defense? Well, you saw what Oregon did to Bucky in the Rose Bowl.

After consecutive trips to Pasadena, the Badgers are back to being underdogs in the Big Ten. It’s the latest chance to see what Bielema’s really made of.

LEGENDS DIVISION

Iowa

Will a real workhorse running back (please) stand up?

The Marcus Coker story has clouded the skies at Iowa after a season that, as it was, ended with the Hawkeyes pretty much in the dumps. Kirk Ferentz has a new coordinator on each side of the ball, which may or may not be a good thing. But what he needs more than anything else is a reliable ball-carrier.

Coker was a first-rate back. Jordan Canzeri, who started the bowl loss to Oklahoma, was an undersized, way-down-the-depth-chart freshman who probably isn’t the answer—certainly not to the extent of being a Coker-style workhorse—going forward. Maybe true freshman Greg Garmon? It’s hard to guess; Iowa has had quality running backs emerge seemingly from nowhere before.

Michigan

Can the Wolverines continue to get better and (yes, and) improve?

What a splash Brady Hoke made in 2011: 11 wins, a streak-busting victory over Ohio State, a successful trip to the Sugar Bowl. But that last game vs. Virginia Tech, when the Wolverines were dominated statistically, showed Hoke’s program still has significant ground to gain on college football’s elites.

There is sudden pressure on Michigan as the likely favorite to win the Big Ten in 2012 and to get back to the Rose Bowl for the first time in six years. But Denard Robinson and company could be a more well-rounded team in 2012 without faring any better—or even as well—in the wins column.

“Our guys play for Michigan,” Hoke said, “and they understand what that means.” Right now, it means even a 10-3 campaign would be seen by many as a disappointment. That’s why overall player attitude this spring is as important a factor as it has ever been in Ann Arbor.

Michigan State

Who are the Spartans without Kirk Cousins and B.J. Cunningham?

In his fourth year in the program, quarterback Andrew Maxwell should be ready to shine. But just as Cousins had an unbreakable bond with Cunningham on third downs, the 6-3 Maxwell needs a receiver he can grow with and count on. With Cunningham gone, many in East Lansing are expecting that receiver to be Tennessee transfer DeAnthony Arnett—though Arnett is still awaiting an NCAA ruling on his eligibility for 2012. If the passing game proves unreliable, MSU will lean a little more heavily on brutish back Le’Veon Bell, who terrified defenses down the stretch as a sophomore.

Minnesota

What’s the strength of this team?

That’s a little vague, sure, but consider: The Gophers ranked 10th or worse in the Big Ten last season in rushing and passing—on both sides of the ball—as well as in turnover margin, sacks, net punting and about a hundred other things. Jerry Kill would take any positive he can get in his second spring on the job.

Quarterback MarQueis Gray finished last year’s 3-9 (2-6 Big Ten) season on a high note; he’s one of the best dual-threat types among those who get virtually no national attention. Not the greatest compliment of all time, we suppose, but his continued development this spring is of vital importance to the Gophers, who Kill said are “headed in the right direction. … (But) it’s going to take time.”

Nebraska

Will the Blackshirts finally be the Blackshirts again?

It’s completely fair to begin questioning the job Bo Pelini has done in Lincoln. The man is known as a premier defensive coach, and yet his 2011 defense—which featured two absolute stars in linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard—was utterly run-of-the-mill, ranking eighth in the Big Ten against the run and eighth in points allowed. David, Dennard and outstanding D-lineman Jared Crick (who missed eight games with an injury) all are off to the NFL draft. Remember the name Andrew Green; he could be the cornerback who follows in Dennard’s and Prince Amukamara’s footsteps.

Northwestern

Any chance younger will also mean better?

Pat Fitzgerald signed 21 players earlier this month—the biggest of his six recruiting classes in Evanston, and one he hopes will help NU “take the next step in becoming a championship program.” That’s a tall order when the Wildcats are laden with experienced players, let alone when they’re down a ton of seniors from last year’s 6-7 team, which lost the Meineke Car Care Bowl to Texas A&M.

NU did play several underclassmen on defense as the season wore on, and Fitzgerald has the chance to build an improved, faster secondary around rising sophomore Ibraheim Campbell this spring. The Wildcats were 12th in the Big Ten vs. the pass in 2011.